Brothers (and Sister) in Arms
by XxRougeofVoidxX
Summary: A series of fics involving young America and Canada (and Seychelles)! Rated T for occasional swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N): Hi! This is my first story, and I'm thinking about making it a multi-chapter sort of thing. Since this is my first story, so please don't expect the best writing ever. I would really appreciate some advice in order to improve my skills. Hope you like!**

Chapter 1

Getting to Know You

Matthew's heart was beating out of his chest. He shakily followed his older brother, Francis, into a grassy park. It had barely any trees. _Nowhere to hide_, thought the young country with a sigh. He was absolutely terrified. Earlier that morning, his older brother had told him they were going to the park to meet someone really important. Matthew could never properly introduce himself to someone new, especially someone who's important. Though it wasn't like he himself wasn't important either, at least that's what he told himself. Matthew just so happened to be a country, the personification of Canada. Francis, who was also a country, was the personification of France.

However, Canada was often overlooked and treated like nothing special. He was often forgotten. It was a major blow to his self-esteem, making him self-conscious and extremely shy. He definitely wasn't prepared for a surprise meeting.

France looked down at his younger brother, looking concerned

"What's wrong, _mon petit_?" He asked in a thick French accent. "You don't look too good. And you're holding my hand so tightly the circulation's gone."

For the first time, Matthew had realized how tightly he was clinging on to his brother's arm. He quickly let go and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Oops, sorry." He replied "I guess I might kinda-sorta-maybe-totally might be a _little_ worried. You never told me anything about meeting anybody."

"I know." Said the older Frenchman. "But it's all part of the surprise!"

"Huh?"

"You'll see."

Matthew looked up inquisitively at his older brother. Just then, the serene silence of the park was broken.

"BUT ARTHUUUUR!" Wailed a young child's voice. "I DON'T WANNA GO!"

"Alfred you are coming with me and that is final." Replied a much older voice in a British accent. "And quit whining, you're making people stare."

Matthew turned to see a tall blonde man walking towards him and France. In his arms was a struggling young child. He couldn't make out his features yet due to the fact that he was thrashing about in all directions.

"WHY DO I HAFTA GO TO YOUR MEETINGS?" Cried the child.

"I already told you." Answered the older man. "There's a surprise for you. Now shut your trap and quit bloody yelling!"

_Is this the surprise? _Thought Matthew.

The Englishman stopped in front of France and Matthew.

"Ah, hello," said the British man. He bent down and placed the young boy down, then turned to Matthew. "You must be Canada."

Matthew nodded slowly, trying in vain to hide behind his older brother's legs.

"I'm England, and this is your brother." He said, gesturing to the small blonde-haired, blue-eyed child he'd been carrying. "France and I figured it's time you met each other."

Canada stared at the blonde child in front of him, and realized how alike they were. _Could he really be my brother?_ He thought.

"Well then," began France. "We'll be leaving you two to get better acquainted."

_Huh? Why? Don't leave me here alone!_ The Canadian boy thought, suddenly feeling panicky. But it was too late. France and England were steadily moving away from the two boys. With every footstep away the older men took, the faster Matthew's heart rate increased. _This is bad. Really, really bad._ Being around adults he didn't know was bad enough, now he was stuck with a child his _own age_? _And _he has to _converse_ with them too? Canada didn't know how to handle this situation. _Say something, _anything,_ that won't make you sound like an idiot._ Meanwhile, this new brother of his was staring at him intently.

"Uhm…" stammered Matthew. "You-you look like me…"

_What?! _Exclaimed Matthew in his mind. _What'd you have to go and say that for? You should've asked him his name or something!_ The blonde boy looked at him for a moment, and then said "Nuh-uh. _You _look like _me_."

"Uh, okay." muttered Matthew.

"My name's Alfred." Beamed the child, giving Matthew a toothy grin. "My country's America. Who're you?"

"I-I'm-"

"Huh?" interrupted Alfred. "What'd you say? Sorry but I can't hear you that good."

"I'm Matthew."

"What?"

"Matthew!"

"What?"

"MY NAME'S MATTHEW!" yelled Canada with all his might so that his voice was just above a whisper. "MY COUNTRY'S CANADA!"

"Oh!" replied Alfred. "Neat!"

Canada wasn't expecting that last part.

"Neat?" he repeated.

"Yeah!" said Alfred. "You're house is pretty huge, and you don't live that far from me."

This occurrence was a first for Canada. Besides his older brother, not many people paid him any attention, nevermind thinking he was_ neat._ Plus, this kid did his research. He knew about him even before finding out they were brothers.

"So what sort of things do you like?" inquired Matthew.

"I like super cool stuff like playing soldier, burgers, having fun, playing games, messing with Arthur, and a whole bunch o' other stuff." Answered Alfred, counting all of his interests on his fingers. "What about you?"

"Me? I like hot chocolate, pancakes, maple syrup, enjoying nature, polar be-"

"Polar bears?" interrupted the young American. "Those are so awesome! They're all tough and roar really loud!"

Another first. Someone was actually interested in him. A smile crept onto the blonde boy's face.

"W-well," murmured Matthew. "I have a pet pol-"

"WHAT?!" the Canadian was once again cut off by his brother. "REALLY?!"

Then his eyes narrowed. "You ain't pullin' my leg are you?"

"Nope." Answered Canada. "His name is Kumajiro, and he lives with me."

America's eyes widened and so did the grin on his face.

"Awesome! Where is he?" he asked, turning around and craning his neck, hoping that he'll find a big, white polar bear lumbering around.

"A-actually, I left him at home. I don't normally bring him to meet new people, or else they get scared." Said Matthew.

_Oh no,_ wondered Matthew. _What if he gets bored and doesn't like me anymore?_

However. Alfred's grin never faltered.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to come over to your house sometime!" he replied, chipper as ever.

"America!" called England. Matthew turned around to see that his brother and England were coming back towards them. "Time to go!"

"AWW!" exclaimed America. "But I wanna stay here with Mattie!"

Matthew's heart skipped a beat. _Did he just call me Mattie? Does that mean I have a nickname now? Should I give him one? I'll have to think of a good one before we see each other again. _A thousand thoughts swirled around in his head as he watched Alfred and England leave. Before the two were out of sight, America turned around to wave at Matthew, who earnestly waved back. Matthew smiled to himself.

_Maybe meeting new people wasn't so bad after all._

**(A/N): So what'd you think? Please be honest and leave as much constructive criticism as possible. Hopefully as I update more stories I'll continue to improve. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N): Thank you so much for all the positive and constructive feedback! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, school has been taking up most of my time. Hopefully with most of my projects out of the way, I'll be able to update more often. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia**

Chapter: 2

Trust

"It will be ok, _mon petit._ I will only be gone a month. Until then, you are a big boy. You don't have to only be relying on me all the time. You'll be fi- oh! No, don't cry!"

But it was too late. Tears were already cascading down Matthew's cheeks as he held on to his brother, refusing to let go. There was no way he'd let Francis leave him on his own. Who knows what would happen if the elder country boarded that ship, that big, old, scary ship that was tethered to the dock in front of him? What if he got lost? What if he got washed overboard? What if he got eaten by one of those big sharks that Alfred's been telling them so much about? Matthew shook with fear at the thought of never being able to see his brother again. He was not about to let France escape from him so easily.

"B-but," blubbered Matthew. "What if you get hurt?"

"Mathieu," replied Francis. "We are countries, so even if I do get hurt, I won't die."

"That doesn't make me feel better…"

France kneeled so that he and Canada were now at eye level. Matthew flung his arms around his neck and started to cry hysterically. The Frenchman rubbed his brother's back, whispering comforts into his ear, as a single tear slid down his very own cheek. He loved his little brother dearly, but as a country, he has business that needed to be attended to.

"_ALL ABOARD. WE WILL BE LEAVING DOCK SHORTLY." _The sound of the ship's captain abruptly ended the countries' embrace. France gave Matthew one last kiss on the forehead.

"Do not worry, _mon petit_, I trust you. And I love you very much."

"I love you too, Big Brother."

France smiled, turned away, and boarded the ship. Once on deck, he ran to the railings and waved at Canada. Canada reciprocated the gesture, and watched as France turned and disappeared below the deck, out of sight. The small country sniffled a bit, tears flowing freely from his face. He then slowly walked away from the dock, not looking back once to see the ship pull free from the dock and slowly disappear from sight.

*TIME SKIP*

Matthew stood alone at the train station, clutching a book in his left hand. In his right, he struggled to hold his large, lazy pet polar bear. His eyes were red and puffy, and his nose was still congested. He looked like a wreck, and judging by the looks he was getting from the other passengers, he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it. His cheeks burned with embarrassment, and he buried his nose in his book.

"Train 33 will now be leaving the station. All passengers on Train 33 that aren't already on the train please board immediately."

Matthew lifted his head out of his book, grabbed his pet, and hurried to Train 33, running as fast as his little legs could carry him. He hopped on board, almost toppling over under the weight of Kumajiro. Once he had found a seat, the little country laid Kumajiro on his lap, gently stroking his fur, and reopened his book. The train lurched to life, and slowly made its way down the tracks. Canada longed to be with Francis, realizing how boring things would be without him. He could feel the tears returning, burning his eyes, threatening to spill out. He wiped his eyes, but a lump in his throat started to grow until it overtook him with grief and misery. He silently sobbed, letting his despair out in soft wails for his brother. _It's not fair!_ thought Canada. _Why would he just leave me like that? I wonder if Mr. England leaves Al by himself…Al…_

Canada had not seen his other brother Alfred for months. Since their first meeting, England had rarely brought America over to play with his brother. Matthew wished he could see him again. As he pondered over his brothers, Matthew's head began to nod down his shoulders, until he finally gave into sleep, letting dreams of being together with France and America wash over him

*TIME SKIP*

The train came to an abrupt halt, lurching Matthew out of his slumber. Outside, the Sun was setting, coloring the sky a vibrant orange, with swirls of pink and yellow scattered across.

"Attention passengers", the train conductor boomed, walking through the train compartments as he spoke. "We have reached station 52 in New York. Our next stop is Quebec, Canada, which will be approximately six hours long."

Matthew groaned audibly, earning him a stink eye from the conductor as he passed by.

"We will be leaving shortly."

Matthew heaved a long sigh, craving to be rid of his stuffy old compartment, in exchange for his soft, warm house. He stared out the window longingly. Suddenly, something familiar caught his eye. Blonde hair and blue eyes next to blonde hair blue eyes, and bushy eyebrows.

"_Alfred?" _cried Canada, much to the annoyance of the passengers in the adjacent compartment.

Sure enough, Matthew's brother was skipping happily next to his caretaker Arthur, the elder country struggling to keep his brother under control. He rapped his knuckles on the glass window of his compartment, trying in vain to get America's attention. Quickly he grabbed Kumajiro and his book, hurrying to the train's exit. Finally, he'd be able to see his brother. _Wait_. Matthew stopped dead in his tracks. _What do you think you're doing? Are you crazy? You're disobeying Big Brother's orders! He trusted you to go straight home and be a good boy! He'll be so disappointed in you!_

The little voice in his head had a point, though. This was really reckless, would France approve? Matthew contemplated this, sometimes pushing his leg of the train, and immediately retracting it back.

"Train 33 will now be leaving the station. All passengers on Train 33 that aren't already on the train please board immediately."

With a lurch, the train slowly crawled back to life. Matthew had to make a decision. It was now or never.

_Sorry Francis._

Matthew leaped off the train, and tumbled onto the hard concrete floor of Platform 4, scraping his elbows and knees in the process. He rose to the ground, and winced in pain at the cuts all over his bare skin. Normally, he would have shed a few tears, but right now wasn't the time for crying. He grabbed his book and pet bear and scrambled to find his brother.

"Alfred?" he called, yelling as loud as he could. "Alfred! ALFRED! Where are you?!"

Matthew screamed despairingly, realizing that he had abandoned his only way back home to go looking for someone he thought might've been his brother. The tears started to pour again, stinging the cuts on his cheek. He made no attempt to wipe them this time, fully embracing his misery. He was alone, and scared, and lost. France would never forgive him.

"Mattie?"

Canada raised his tear stained face, and turned to see America standing in front of him, looking concerned.

"I heard someone calling me. A-are you ok?"

"Al!" cried Matthew, running to his brother, and almost tackling him with a giant hug. "It really is you!"

"What're you doing here?" questioned England, walking up slowly behind America. "Where's the Frog- er- France?"

Matthew quickly relayed all of the information on the events of that day.

"You mean you actually jumped a _train?!_" exclaimed America, gazing at his brother in awe. "Awesome!"

"Hmm…" said England. " It was a bit reckless, but I'm glad you're okay. If you wanted to, you could spend the month at our house. America won't stop asking me if we can visit you, and I suppose now is as good a time as any. So, what do you say?"

"Oh yes please sir!" Matthew said ecstatically. "I promise I'll behave! I can help with chores! I can cook and clean and garden and I know a thing or two about raising livestock! I can also-"

"Yes well that's enough of that." interjected England, a small smile appearing on his face. "Come now, America and I were just making our way back home."

Alfred grabbed Matthew's hand and skipped merrily next to Arthur. He chattered excitedly about how much fun the two would have, and all the activities they could do, and to not eat England's food (to which England angrily yelled "Hey!"). Matthew was too happy to care. He was with his brother, and that was all that mattered.

**(A/N): Ok! I'm finally done. This chapter was really hard for me to do, what with school and homework and such. I'm really happy about how it came out though. What do you think? As usual, I have so much I want to improve on, and I would really appreciate it if you told me how I could make my writing better. Anyways, the next few chapters will focus on the boys' various shenanigans at America's house. Then, I might introduce a new character (hinthint it's in the title)… Thanks for being so patient with me!**


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